Chris Broussard

So Jason Collins, NBA center, came out as gay.  Many pundits applauded the decision, saying the time is right for a gay athlete in the four major sports to carry the torch for the presumed many hiding in the closet for fear of negative publicity or unacceptance.  The praise for Collins' revelation was nearly universal, but ESPN basketball analyst Chris Broussard said that he had a problem with Collins' lifestyle based on his personal religious beliefs.  He was asked his opinion on an "Outside the Lines" segment and was expected to be honest and forthright, which, it appears, he was.  And now many of those same pundits who supported Collins are heaping vitriol on Broussard.  He's been labeled as intolerant, a relic of the darker days, rooted in the past.  People have said that Broussard is opening a door that may not have needed to be opened, especially in 2013.  Religion is something that is off limits and should (apparently) never be used as a basis for a decision.

This is coming right back to the 99% vs. the 1%.  Why is it fine and dandy to limit the freedom of open Christians, and yet laud the freedoms of open gays?  I mean, Christianity is a lifestyle choice, much like homosexuality.  Why is one championed and the other derided?  What's the deal with this double standard?  Why do media members talk so often about the "progress" being made in the acceptance of all sexual orientations but sweep under the rug the intolerance and judgment shown to religious persons?  It's disgusting to be honest.  It's not right or proper to cheer for one group and chide another group for doing the exact same thing...expressing an opinion when asked!  To me, there is no difference between the two, and yet Collins is seen as a pioneer and Broussard is being painted as homophobic because it's convenient in 2013 to pick on Christians.

It seems that we return to the fact that Americans feel a sort of fulfillment or pride when they fancy themselves better than a certain sect.  Americans yell and scream for total freedom and equality for all but then single out Christians or people who disagree with the cause and call them un-American and behind the times and disconnected.  But these so-called "forward thinking" individuals are merely marginalizing a group of people at the expense of another group of people.  There has been no real advancement in terms of equality and acceptance; merely an illusion.  It's frustrating...